Car-starter



(No Model.) R' O. GBRGKB' GAR STARTER. No. 385,800 Patented July 10, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLF OTTO GERCKE, OF AUGUSTA, GEORGIA.

CAR-STARTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 385.800, dated July 10, 1888. Application filed November 1, 1887. Serial No. 253.993. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUDOLF Orro GERCKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Augusta, in the county of Richmond and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Starters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in carvstarters, and it consists in certain novel features, hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of my present invention is to provide an attachment for car-starters of the class shown in my patent No. 348,732, granted September 7, 1886, whereby the car will be started by the horses instead of the driver, and at the same time the labor of the horses in starting the car will be diminished. This object I accomplish by means of the de viceillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whieh- Figure l is a longitudinal section of a por tion of car having my improved device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of my attachment removed from the car; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line :v .r of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. et is a detail view of the cross head .I and its parts.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the car-truck, and B the lever, of my above-mentioned car-starter, having the pedal O at its front end.

D designates the closing box or case of my attachment, which is secured to the underside of the platform, as clearly shown. At the rear end of this inclosing-case I journal a small pulley or roller, E, under which passes a band, F, having one end secured to the pedal C and its other end secured to grippers G, sliding in longitudinal ways or guides H, secured in the lower angles of the box or casing. The grooves I in these guides or ways are of a greater depth at their front ends than at their rear ends, so that the grippers are prevented from releasing their hold on the cross-head until thesame has been drawn nearly to the front end of the casing, as will be hereinafter more particularly referred to. The grippers consist of a cross-bar, a, to which the band is secured, and the arms b, pivoted to the front side of said cross-bar.

The cross-head J is arranged betweenthe grippers and the front end of the box or casing, and has an integral offset, K, on its rear side, which is engaged by the grippers, as shown in Fig. 2. The offset K has the verticallydisposed plates c c pivotally secured to its front end, the said plates extending forward and outward from the said offset. The offset is further provided with a transverse opening, e, through which I pass a coiled spring, d, having its opposite ends secured to the plates c c. This spring serves to hold the said plates c c out from the offset K, so that they Will be positively engaged by the arms b b of the gripper. On its front side the crosshead has a forwardly-projecting hook, L, to which the horses are attached, the trace or bitching-chain passing through an opening, M, in the front end of the box. The edges of the crosshead, near the bottom thereof, are provided with grooves N, by which the crosshead is fitted to the guides or ways and enabled to slide therealong.

O O are coiled springs having their front ends secured to the rear side of the cross-head and their rear ends secured to the rear end of the box or casing, the function of these springs being to draw the cross-head to the rear end of the box when the car is stopped. In the lower portion of the crosshead I journal a cog- Wheel, P, which, when the cross-head is at the front end of the box, meshes with a cog- Wheel, Q, which is mounted on a crank-shaft, R, jonrnaled beneath the box, and projects through a longitudinal slot, S, in the bottom of the box. A connecting-rod, T, extends from the shaft It to a similar shaft, U, journaled on the bottom of the car and carrying a cog-wheel, V, which meshes with a cog-wheel, Y, on the axle of the front car-wheels.

The operation ofmy invention will be readily understood. When thehorsesarestarted,they draw upon the cross-head and pull it toward the front end of the box or casing. The gripper will also be drawn forward and througlr the medium of the band connected thereto will operate the car-starting lever, so as to start the car, as will be readily understood. When the gripper is beingdrawn forward,thepullexerted IOO upon the arms b I1 thereof will tend to release the said arms from the plates c c, as will be readily understood. This tendency is resisted by the back walls of the guides or ways in which the grippers move until the grippers have been drawn to the deeper portion of the said ways,when they will instantly disengage themselves from the cross-head and will be drawn back to their position in front of the roller, as will be readily understood. The cross-head, however, will be drawn `to the front end of the box and by contacting with the said front end will propel the car forward. It is obvious from the drawings that while the car is in motion the cross-head will be held at the front end of the box by means of the cog- Wheels shown and described; but when the caris stopped the crosshead will be drawn back into engagement with the grippcrs by the spring secured to its rear side.

It will be seen that my device is simple in construction and certainand efficient in ils operation.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secu re by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. The combination,with the car-starting lever, of the grippers, means for con necting said grippcrs to the lever, and the cross-head engaged by the grippers and adapted to receive the draft, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination. with the car and the car-starting lever, of the box .secured to the car,` the grippers sliding in ways in said boX, means for connecting said grippers to the lever, and the cross-head, also sliding in said ways and engaged by the grippers, as set forth.

3. The combination of the car-starting lever, the band secured thereto,the pulley E,around which said band passes, the grippers secured to the free end of said band, and the crosshead engaged by said grippers and adapted to receive the draft, as set forth.

4. Thecombination of thecar-startinglever, the grippers connected thereto, the cross-head engaged by said gri ppers and adapted to receive the draft, the springs connected to said crosshead and acting in opposition to the draft,

the gcarwhecls carried by the crosshead, and geanwheels connected to the car-wheels and adapted to mesh with the wheels in the crosshead when it is drawn forward to prevent retrograde movement of the cross-head, substantiaily as described.

5. The combination of the car-startinglever, the grppers connected thereto and having the pivoted arms b, the cross-head having the oii set K, the plates c c, pivoted to said offset and engaged by the gripper-arms b, the spring d, holding said plates normally apart, the draft hook on the front side of the cross-head, and the springs connected to the rear side of the crosshead and acting in opposition to the draft, substantially as specified.

6. In a car-starter, the combination, with the starting-lever, of the sliding cross-head connected thereto, whereby the draft on the cross-head operates the starting-lever, as set forth.

7. In a car starter, the combination of the starting-lever, the sliding cross-head to which the draft is applied, connections between the crosshead and the starting-lever, and aspring to return the crosshead to its normal position when the draft is relieved, as set forth.

8. In a car-starter, the combination of the startinglever, the sliding cross-head to which the draft is applied, the said cross-head being connected to the starting devices and being drawn forward by the draft 0n the car, a spring for returning the crosshead to its initial position when the draft is relieved, and gearing carried by the crosshead, and gearing connecting with the wheels of the car to mesh with the gearing carried by the cross-head when the latter is drawn forward by the draft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoi ng as my own I have hereto affixed my si guatu re in presence of two witnesses.

RUDOLF OTTO GERCKE.

Vitnesses:

THOMAS J. MILLER, LEwIs E. DooLrirTLE. 

